I have disclosed apparatus in my Patent Application WO 061356 for security sealing that includes means for adhering a printed strip between the tape and a substrate, such as a container, the printed strip being visible through a transparent zone in the tape—preferably in the centre thereof. Any tampering of the container will result in damage to the strip and this will be observable so that steps can be taken to investigate the tampering.
The apparatus involves a roller for applying the strip and it is an object of the present invention to dispense with the use of such a roller so that the cost of the apparatus is conveniently reduced and the printing process substantially simplified.
It is not desirable for direct printing to be applied to the top surface of the tape because of the poor adhesion of certain inks to plastic surfaces and the printing may be erased easily and there are difficulties involved in applying printing to the adhesive surface of the tape. It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus that effectively applies printing to the adhesive surface of the tape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,959 was the main citation in the PCT Application No. PCT/ZA2009/000078 from which the present application is derived. That patent describes a printer for printing on the adhesive side of a clear tape, the flow of ink being controlled by a compressor. The present invention aims to avoid the use of such ungainly apparatus.